The present invention relates to adjustable aperture devices for an electromagnetic radiation detecting apparatus.
Generally, adjustment of optical elements is known in the art.
US 2006/0103920 discloses a device, such as a rotary disk or a longitudinal slider, for retaining optical components, this device comprising apertures arranged next to one another, and a raceway having detents being provided in the direction of the arranged apertures, which detents are embodied in such a way that they are to be brought into click-stop engagement with a spherical body running along the raceway, in order to hold the device in a selected position. In order to enable gentle click-stopping of the spherical body with a wide capture region, it is proposed that the detents have, in the running direction, a profile comprising a combination of two arc-shaped profiles, such that an outer profile of lesser curvature surrounds an inner profile of greater curvature.
DE 296 04 667 discloses a changer device for optical elements.
In liquid chromatography, a fluidic analyte may be pumped through conduits and a column comprising a material which is capable of separating different components of the fluidic analyte. Such a material, so-called beads which may comprise silica gel, may be filled into a column tube which may be connected to other elements (like a control unit, containers including sample and/or buffers) by conduits. When a fluidic sample is pumped through the column tube, it is separated into different fractions. The separated fluid may be pumped in a flow cell in which the different components are identified on the basis of an optical detection mechanism.
In such an optical detection mechanism, ultraviolet radiation is guided along the flow cell. In such an optical system, inter alia an aperture device is required having an aperture hole which needs to be positioned precisely relative to an optical path and which needs to be adjustable regarding aperture hole dimension. In this kind of optical measurement devices such as spectrometers with the product names (Starlight or ORCA) there is the requirement to switch slit apertures in a reproducible way.
Conventionally, this is done by a micromechanical member which comprises a silicon structure in which both the required aperture slits as well as a precise adjustment provision for the individual aperture slits is foreseen in the form of solid state hinges integrated in a silicon substrate. Although such a member works properly, it is expensive in manufacture. Conventional aperture devices for detection cells may hence suffer from a high complexity.